Leading Utah tea party activists are split between the state’s two Republican Senate candidates days before voters choose a nominee to succeed Sen. Bob Bennett, who was defeated for the nomination at the state Republican Party convention last month.

Business consultant Tim Bridgewater and attorney Mike Lee, who finished in the top two slots at the state convention, both claim support from different tea party organizers. But activists say both candidates are so friendly to the movement that it is hard to choose between the two.

“Two tea party candidates won. It’s just a difference of preference. We’re united in the principles,” said David Kirkham, the Utah Tea Party founder, who has not made a formal endorsement but has praised Bridgewater’s campaign.

Bridgewater took first place at the nominating convention, taking 57 percent to Lee’s 43 percent in the final round of delegate voting, falling just 3 percentage points short of winning the nomination without a primary fight. He also picked up Bennett’s endorsement a month after denying the senator a shot at another term.

Lee, who served as counsel to former Gov. Jon Huntsman and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, this week rolled out a list of endorsements from more than two dozen activists associated with the tea party and the Glenn Beck-backed “9/12 movement.”

“If we are going to save the U.S. economy, it will take more than just business experience; it will take the leadership of Mike Lee in the Senate to safeguard the Constitution back in Washington,” said Darcy Van Orden, head of the Davis County 9/12 group.

Bridgewater’s campaign was unsurprised by Lee’s endorsements and pointed out that between the 9/12 groups and the various tea party factions, there were plenty of grass-roots supporters to go around.

“The title ‘tea party’ is a hard title to give,” said Bridgewater spokeswoman Tiffany Gunnerson. “We have a lot of tea party support as well. I don’t think this is the case of a tea party candidate versus an establishment candidate. We have 9/12 people as well.”

And Kirkham — who said tea party groups often include a wider array of political viewpoints than 9/12 organizations, focusing mostly on fiscal issues — said Bridgewater’s convention performance showed his strength with the base of the party.

“Lee is more isolationist, and Bridgewater has business dealings around the world. I think that’s one of the reasons why 57 percent of them voted for Bridgewater,” Kirkham said, with a jab at Lee’s professional record. “When it gets down to it, Mike Lee is a lawyer. Ninety-five percent of his adult life, he’s been a lawyer for the federal government.”

Bridgewater’s campaign went up with an ad this week framing the election as a choice between “a businessman and a D.C.-based lawyer.” Still, Gunnerson acknowledged that the election is “tighter than I would want it to be.”

“We’re in the lead, but it’s probably going to be tighter as the race goes on,” she said. “It’s going to be tight because these are really two quality conservative candidates.”